Polarization & Extremism Research & Innovation Lab (PERIL)

Cynthia Miller-Idriss met with DW Akademie to discuss the political fascination and history of #politicalviolence. We focus on the near trajectory for ongoing escalated events: https://lnkd.in/ekTXs56m 

Very glad to have the chance to elaborate on my arguments about ordinary citizens and the need to deescalate calls for violence and support for it, in todays Financial Times: https://lnkd.in/eR6cmnVM

PERIL's Cynthia Miller-Idriss on NPR's Morning Edition with Odette Yousef and Lisa Hagen: Cynthia Miller-Idriss, professor and founding director of the Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab at American University, said she’s worried about the potential escalating violence in the coming days and weeks — such as copycat attacks, acts of revenge or unlawful militias mobilizing to action. “We have such a high level of us-versus-them thinking and the idea of an existential threat and an incredibly armed population, that the likelihood that another lone actor tries to take action is always out there as a possibility.” School of Public Affairs, American University Read the entire article here or listen to the radio clip: https://lnkd.in/eWCPGAqa

PERIL's Cynthia Miller-Idriss' interview with The Washington Post: “This is a reckoning for political leaders and for ordinary Americans,” said Cynthia Miller-Idriss, who leads the PERIL extremism research lab at American University. “It’s a moment when everyone should be thinking about the role they play in escalating the potential for violence.” #politicalviolence #extremism School of Public Affairs, American University https://lnkd.in/eHPsh3mH

Occurring tomorrow, Wednesday, July 17, 2024 from 3-4:15 p.m. EDT: a live webinar on "What Comes Next In the Presidential Election?", featuring a panel of experts, including PERIL's Cynthia Miller-Idriss, School of Public Affairs, American University and American University - Kogod School of Business Topics include: + How will the assassination attempt change the election and affect polarization in the country? + How will the Democratic Party rules affect the potential outcome of this election if Biden drops out? + How will the media shape the election in the wake of the assassination attempt? + What is the impact on the economy depending on the outcome? + What does the process look like leading up to and after the election? #presidentialelection #combattingextremism #politicalviolence Sign up here: https://lnkd.in/ebfTf6UX

PERIL's Cynthia Miller-Idriss with CNN's Christiane Amanpour: Amanpour: "Can you walk us through why there is this massive uptick [in violence] now?" Miller-Idriss: "There's several different root causes that lead to increasing willingness to support and engage in political violence. 1) there is an environment of an 'us versus them' rhetoric happening, sometimes people think there is a need for 'heroic violence'. We see this happen around theories surrounding 'The Great Replacement', but also in terms of political violence, people thinking this is what you have to do to save democracy. We saw that on January 6th for example. The single top predictor, or among the top three predictors in support of political violence and willingness to engage in it is hostile sexism or misogyny." View the entire interview here: https://lnkd.in/ePpm2fMe

Our interview by Cynthia Miller-Idriss with PBS journalist Ali Rogin: Ali: "One of our Newshour polls found earlier this year that 1 in 5 respondents believe Americans may have to resort to violence to get their own country back on track. That seems like a high number. What's your take?" Cynthia: "It seems high, but it's accurate. I mean, that's exactly the kind of data that we've been seeing. We're seeing increasing support for political violence and also increasing willingness to engage. Among ordinary Americans, and that's what I mean about everybody seeing this as a moment of reckoning for themselves and their own behavior, not just to wag fingers at the elites and politicians who are behaving badly, but to think about what you do across the dining room table, what you're doing in your classrooms, what you're doing with your colleagues and your neighbors, because anytime you're justifying that kind of violence, you never know who's going to overhear that or how that contributes to the overall climate in which violence is seen as a solution." School of Public Affairs, American University #politicalviolence #extremism https://lnkd.in/efGcBqWm

#FightingDisinformation #ConspiracyTheories #Reframing #PoliticalViolence #HowToRespondToViolence  A common societal response to a highlighted violent event is to create an understanding or justification surrounding the perpetrator of violence. Without evidence-based probabilities, this response can trigger additional mis/disinformation and a negative reframing of events. Instead of promoting rhetoric like: “this attack justifies Trump’s stance on democracy”, or “he deserved this attack”, encourage discussion and dialogue around mitigating violence. Here are some additional tips:  ⛔ Avoid naming the shooter. Do not publish their words or circulate their social media posts.  Evidence shows that this can incite copycat violence by others seeking fame through violence.  ⛔ Do not use sensationalizing frames or words intended to induce fear and anxiety  ⛔ Do not assume affiliations with political groups and motives    ✅ Point out how incidents like this might be prevented.   ✅ Hold a safe space to process fear and grief and foster better resilience.     Need support? Reach out to us: PERIL@american.edu School of Public Affairs, American University

#PoliticalViolence #Misinformation #TrumpAssassinationAttempt #TrumpRally PERIL condemns the attempted assassination of former President Trump and all political violence in the strongest possible terms. The tragedy in Pennsylvania only highlights the need for more resilient communities and off ramps for radicalizing individuals. PERIL works to shore up capacity for work like this, to build a more peaceful society. To get support for your community and how to proactively discuss this event, reach out to us: PERIL@american.edu 

PERIL hosted 17 educators from multiple states as #SummerInstitute2024 fellows last week, from June 16-20 in Washington, D.C. We also thank the 11 expert facilitators for bringing insight and providing the necessary tools for the fellows to come up with an implementable plan upon return to their schools to combat #extremism 😎 Fellows provided responses to the Summer Institute 2024 Survey: "What did you like the most about the Summer Institute?" Answers ranged from "experiential learning and small group work" to "hearing and learning from experts/guest speakers" and "learning and connecting with others with access to resources."